Why is Marijuana Illegal??

Where did the term “Marijuana” come from?

“Marijuana” is a Mexican slang term used in the 1930s by American newspaper magnate & wood pulp stakeholder, Randolph Hearst, as part of a scheme to end the use of fiber from the cannabis/hemp plant. Hearst had the help of DuPont Chemical’s banker, head of the US Treasury, Andrew Mellon. Mellon had close family ties with Harry Anslinger (The 1st Drug Czar) who had married Mellon’s niece. Anslinger needed an opponent to fight in his war, cannabis users made easy targets. In the 30’s, hemp was poised to be a “billion dollar crop”, with Anslinger’s new job, it was easy for Anslinger, Hearst and Mellon to destroy the cannabis/hemp industry, Nylon & Wood Pulp’s main rival. In addition to the valuable fiber content, resins from hemp could have compromised several of DuPont’s petrochemical based patents. Utilizing racism & propaganda, Hearst & Anslinger protected Mellon & DuPont’s interests, spreading fear and lies around the use of marijuana by “Negroes, Mexicans & Entertainers!” through Hearst’s newspaper network.

How did Cannabis become a Schedule I?
(a drug with no medical purposes)

When the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 was passed, Congress created a presidential commission to review the research and recommend how to handle marijuana. President Nixon loaded this commission with “drug warriors”. The National Commission on Marihuana & Drug Abuse (aka:the Shafer Commission) launched 50 research projects, polled the public & members of the criminal justice community, & took thousands of pages of testimony. Their work is still the most comprehensive review of marijuana ever conducted by the federal government.

After reviewing all the evidence, these “drug warriors” came back talking about legalization. When Nixon heard such talk, he denounced the Commission before it issued its report. Nixon saw marijuana as part of the culture war that was destroying the United States & claimed that Communists were using it as a weapon. Without the support of Nixon, the Commission was ignored & Marijuana was made a Schedule I, a drug with no medical purposes.

How can you help change it?

Spread the good word of MorePot. The more people who understand the truth of what Cannabis is and why it is illegal in the first place, the further we get to seeing a day where everyone can smoke More Pot (without getting in trouble with the law or going to jail).